The 50 Best Classic Horror Movies Of The 20th Century

To avoid fainting, keep repeating 'It's only a movie...It's only a movie...'

It's a monster task to compile a list of the 50 best classic horror movies of all time, and therefore it needs a little explanation. This is intended to be a kind of 20th Century Horror 101; if you'd never seen a horror movie before in your life and wanted to have a quick, bloody education in this most terrifying of genres, this list of the top classic horror movies ever made would be a good place to start.

Every serious horror fan will have seen every film in this list, every movie a must-see classic in its own right. Good classic horror movies spawned icons, grew horror history, pushed boundaries and caused controversy. It's not a list of personal favorites, rather a collection of the most culturally significant horror movies that were important for certain reasons both within their own timeline and the span of cinema history.

How many of these popular classic horror flicks of the 20th century have you seen? And which classic horror film are you going to watch next?

47. Freaks

Classic Horror Movie Controversy: Freaks was banned upon release, and was ultimately used as propaganda to introduce the censorship laws of 1934.

Related Viewing: There's nothing contemporary quite like Freaks either thematically or stylistically, but American Horror Story: Freak Show draws heavily on the imagery and social commentary of Freaks.

IMDb score: 7.9/10

46. King Kong

[Credit: Radio Pictures]

Released: 1933

Directors: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Cast: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot

Related Viewing:White Zombie

IMDb score: 7.9/10

45. The Creature From the Black Lagoon

[Credit: Universal]

Released: 1954

Director: Jack Arnold

Cast: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning

Related Viewing:The Reptile

IMDb score: 7.0/10

44. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

[Credit: Allied Artists Pictures]

Released: 1956

Director: Don Siegel

Cast: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates

Classic Horror Movie History: The movie was remade in 1978 starring Donald Sutherland, and is also heavily referenced in 1998's The Faculty.

39. The Haunting

Classic Horror Movie History:The Haunting was a box office hit as a remake in 1999

Related Viewing:The Old Dark House, House on Haunted Hill

IMDb score: 7.6/10

38. Repulsion

[Credit: Compton Films]

Released: 1965

Director: Roman Polanski

Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser

Related Viewing:Belle de Jour, The Hunger

IMDb score: 7.8/10

37. Night of the Living Dead

[Credit: Continental Distributing]

Released: 1968

Director: George Romero

Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman

Classic Horror Movie Icon: the modern zombie

Related Viewing:Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and just about any other zombie movie you can think of.

IMDb score: 7.9/10

36. Rosemary's Baby

[Credit: Paramount Pictures]

Released: 1968

Director: Roman Polanski

Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon

Related Viewing:House of the Devil

IMDb score: 8.0/10

35. Suspiria

[Credit: Seda Spettacoli]

Released: 1977

Director: Dario Argento

Cast: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

Related Viewing:The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Deep Red, Opera

IMDb score: 7.5/10

34. The Last House on the Left

[Credit: Hallmark Releasing]

Released: 1972

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess

Classic Horror Movie Controversy:LHOTL was caught up in the 'video nasty' scandal, which almost ruined his career. Years later, Hollywood came crawling back to ask his permission for a big-money remake.